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Updated January 10, 2024·
Choosing between the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X and the MSI Stealth 17 comes down to prioritizing your needs. The ASUS offers a balance of portability and performance at a lower price, whereas the MSI is significantly more expensive but offers top-tier performance, especially for engineering, 3D rendering, and machine learning, and has a more premium build. The Zenbook's OLED screen is excellent for vibrant colors and contrast, beneficial for creative work. If long battery life and a lighter laptop for general use are important, the ASUS is a strong option, but if you need the highest performance for demanding tasks and gaming—and don't mind the extra weight and shorter battery life—the MSI is the better choice. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X
- Good portability
- Good battery life
Advantages of the MSI Stealth 17
- Excellent for engineering and design
- Excellent for gaming and AI
- Excellent keyboard
Key differences
Gaming and AI
7.5
9.1
6.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
Yes
SUPPORTS DLSS
Yes
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
Yes
7.5/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for gaming and AI, while the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X is good.
The MSI Stealth 17 outshines the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X in gaming and 3D applications primarily due to the more powerful Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU and a much higher screen refresh rate of 240Hz, which is essential for fast-paced gaming, compared to the RTX 3060 GPU and 60Hz screen of the Zenbook Pro 16X. While both laptops have high-quality displays, the additional computational capability and smoothness in rendering that the MSI Stealth offers can make a significant difference in intensive gaming and 3D tasks.
Engineering and Design
8.6
9.4
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
6.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
9.7/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
The MSI Stealth 17 is excellent for engineering and design, while the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X is very good.
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X offers solid engineering and design capabilities with its strong CPU, dedicated GPU, and OLED screen that delivers crisp visuals for detailed work, but the MSI Stealth 17 outshines it with a more powerful CPU, massive RAM, top-tier GPU, and a larger, high-refresh-rate screen, which makes it excellent for more demanding engineering software and design tasks that require intense processing and intricate graphical representation. Though the Zenbook excels in portability and has a quality OLED display, the Stealth provides superior overall performance at the expense of increased weight and slightly less portability.
Screen Quality
8.3
8.6
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
240Hz
354.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X has a better screen than the MSI Stealth 17 for general use, and engineering and design, while the MSI Stealth 17 has a better screen for gaming and AI, content creation, and software development.
For general use, both the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X and MSI Stealth 17 have high resolution and bright displays that make viewing text and images crisp and vibrant, with the panel type ensuring wide viewing angles. For engineering and design applications, these laptops boast wide color gamuts providing accurate color representation crucial for precise visual work. However, for gaming and 3D applications, their screens have lower refresh rates which can result in less fluid motion, not providing the smooth visual experience preferred for fast-paced games or intensive 3D tasks.
Battery
7.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X has 7 hours of battery life. The MSI Stealth 17 has 5.5 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Good
Fair
16.0in
SIZE
17.3in
5.2 lbs
WEIGHT
6.1 lbs
0.7in
THICKNESS
0.7in
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X has good portability, while the MSI Stealth 17 has only fair portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Cost
$1,300
$3,899
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
$3,500
$4,000
The ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X has a price of $1,300 and the MSI Stealth 17 costs $3,899.
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Key similarities
General Use
8.3
8.7
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
354.0 nits
DISPLAY BRIGHTNESS
384.0 nits
7.0 Hours
BATTERY LIFE
5.5 Hours
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
7.3/10
PORTABILITY SCORE
6.4/10
The MSI Stealth 17 and ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X are both very good for general use.
PerfectRec’s General Use Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for general productivity, web browsing, streaming, video calls, and running a wide variety of apps and programs.
Content Creation
8.5
8.8
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The MSI Stealth 17 and ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X are both very good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
8.2
8.5
9.1/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
9.5/10
16.0 GB
RAM
64.0 GB
3840 x 2400
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1440
8.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
9.0/10
The MSI Stealth 17 and ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X are both very good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Build Quality
7.6
7.8
The MSI Stealth 17 and ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X and the MSI Stealth 17 compare to other laptops
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X | MSI Stealth 17 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,300 | $3,899 | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2022 | May 1, 2023 | |
Overall Dimensions | |||
Overall Dimensions | 14'' x 9.9'' x 0.7'' | 15.7'' x 11.2'' x 0.79'' | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 5.29 lbs | 6.17 lbs | |
Width | |||
Width | 13.98" | 15.65" | |
Depth | |||
Depth | 9.88" | 11.16" | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | Intel i7-12700H | Intel i9-13900H | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 16 GB | 64 GB | |
DDR Memory Version | |||
DDR Memory Version | 5 | 5 | |
RAM Slots | |||
RAM Slots | 0 | 2 | |
Storage | |||
Storage | 1024 GB | 2048 GB | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 7 Hours | 5.5 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 96 Wh | 99.9 Wh | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Diagonal Size | |||
Diagonal Size | 16" | 17.3" | |
Display Technology | |||
Display Technology | OLED | IPS | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 3840 x 2400 | 2560 x 1440 | |
Refresh Rate | |||
Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 240Hz | |
Display Brightness | |||
Display Brightness | 354 nits | 384 nits | |
RELIABILITY, APPEARANCE & ACOUSTICS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality Score | |||
Build Quality Score | 7.6/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Portability Score | |||
Portability Score | 7.4/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Gaming Laptop Appearance | |||
Gaming Laptop Appearance | No | Yes | |
Premium Business Laptop | |||
Premium Business Laptop | No | No | |
Fan Noise Score | |||
Fan Noise Score | 7.5/10 | 8/10 | |
HARDWARE FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Keyboard Quality Score | |||
Keyboard Quality Score | 8/10 | 9/10 | |
Speaker Quality Score | |||
Speaker Quality Score | 9.5/10 | 9.5/10 | |
Webcam | |||
Webcam | 1080p | 1080p | |
Fingerprint Reader | |||
Fingerprint Reader | Yes | Yes | |
Backlit Keyboard | |||
Backlit Keyboard | Yes | Yes | |
Number Pad | |||
Number Pad | No | Yes | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
USB Type-A | |||
USB Type-A | 1 | 2 | |
USB-C ports | |||
USB-C ports | 2 | 2 | |
USB-C Charging | |||
USB-C Charging | Yes | Yes | |
Display Outputs | |||
Display Outputs | 3 | 3 | |
Thunderbolt Version | |||
Thunderbolt Version | 4 | 4 | |
Shopping
ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Marc Herter, Alex Wätzel | November 2023
"The new Zenbook Pro 16X is more powerful, quieter and doesn't need to shy away from dedicated workstations and gamers. It is also comparatively compact, and our test device is the best Zenbook that we've reviewed so far. It seems equally suitable for content creators and gamers or anyone looking for a very powerful laptop that is still slim."
MSI Stealth 17
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Dig into reviews and images
NotebookCheck
Mario Petzold | April 2023
"The MSI Stealth 17 Studio is a laptop with a quiet RTX 4080 for almost every occasion. The MSI Stealth 17 Studio is equally capable of high-level media processing and playing current games. It remains pleasantly quiet, even if a few percentage points of power have had to be sacrificed in the process. But, it is not quite perfect: To some extent, the Stealth 17 is well thought out. It packs tons of graphics power and high-end components in a slim case. The laptop's cooling system can be set such that, noise-wise, it doesn't even reach low volume. However, small flaws cloud otherwise exceptionally positive impressions."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X or the MSI Stealth 17
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
About MSI
MSI, also known as Micro-Star International, is a Taiwanese technology corporation. MSI is known for their wide range of gaming devices. Their series include the entry-level Cyborg/Thin and Sword/Katana series, the mid-range Bravo/Delta and Crosshair/Pulse series, and their high-end Vector, Raider, Stealth, and Titan GT series. At every performance level, MSI offers a variety of devices with varying balances between performance, battery life, weight, and price, making them a solid option to consider at every price point.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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